Psalms 34:12–13
Whoever wants a good life must keep their tongue from deceit
Study it word by word12Who is the man who desires life, who loves days to see good?
13Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
In its context
10Young lions grow poor and go hungry, but those who seek YHWH will not lack any good thing.
11Come, children, listen to me; the fear of YHWH I will teach you.
…
14Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
15The eyes of YHWH are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry for help.
Its words in the original
- אִישׁish· man, husband, each
Man, male; with a possessive, husband. Also "each one", "anyone". It is "ish", distinct from "adam" (human being); it is used for the man in contrast with the woman ("ishah").
- חָפֵץchafets· delighting in, desiring
Wanting, delighting in something; one who has pleasure in or desire for a thing.
- חַיִּיםchayim· living, animal, life
Living, alive; also fresh (of water). As a noun, "living thing" or "animal" (above all wild animals); in the plural, "life".
- אֹהֵבohev· love
Love, have affection for someone: a parent for a child, a husband for a wife, a friend for a friend, a person for God; also like, desire.
- יָמִיםyamim· day
Day: the hours of light, or a whole day from one evening to the next. Also an indefinite time or age ("in the day that...", "in those days").
- רְאוֹתreot· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- טוֹבtov· good
Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".
- נְצֹרnetsor· keep, guard
Keep, watch over, preserve.
- לְשׁוֹנְleshon· tongue
Tongue: the organ of the mouth and also language; also something shaped like a tongue (of flame, of land, of gold).
- רָעra· evil, bad, harm
Bad; evil. It includes what is morally wrong and also what does harm: misfortune, disaster, distress.
- שְׂפָתֶיsefate· lip, language, edge
Lip. From there, the way of speaking: speech or language. Also the shore or edge of something.
- דַּבֵּרdaber· speak
Speak, talk, say; also promise or command.
- מִרְמָהmirma· deceit
Deceit, fraud, treachery.